Why a green energy revolution is set to sweep the nation

Cadent CEO Chris Train outlines his vision of the green energy revolution he predicts will sweep through the nation and the industry as a whole

National Grid sold off Cadent in March 2017, and the new gas distribution business has been heating up ever since.

Its CEO Chris Train, a 35-years veteran of the gas business, believes the rebranding and £13.8bn sale to a group of international investors has given Cadent a newfound freedom that has energised the firm.

“Cadent can build on the fantastic gas industry history and from its previous owners, but there has been a real excitement about stepping out of such a large organisation to independently deliver people’s energy needs,” he says.

“We wanted a new brand that represented our values and showed how different we would be away from the focus of electricity.”

There has been a call to action to encourage new ideas because they can come from anywhere within the organisationChris Train, CEO at Cadent Gas

Some 84 per cent of UK homes are heated by natural gas, which is cleaner than oil or coal, and Cadent operates about 82,000 miles of pipeline and transports gas to around 11m homes and businesses.

But while many customers remain wedded to gas, the company’s future must be secured through innovation, says Mr Train. Indeed, he has called for each of Cadent’s 5,000 direct employees and 5,000 contractors to be more innovative, such is the pace of change moving through the energy industry and the level of competitiveness facing all businesses.

“There has been a call to action to encourage new ideas because they can come from anywhere within the organisation,” he says.

Looking for a spark

“I want people to find innovative ways to solve the problems they come up against every day, whatever their job. If we can find better ways to do things, that is good news for our customers and, ultimately, the business,” says Mr Train.

By championing curiosity and courage, he says, Cadent is supporting staff to challenge themselves – to great effect. Mr Train cites the example of one employee who, frustrated with the formal website and its poor customer experience, asked to take responsibility for a new version that was delivered without the need for an expensive external consultancy.

From customer-facing communications to improved gas mains – or its more long-term mission to find low-carbon alternatives to natural gas – Train explains the importance to Cadent of leading change, and not being led by it.

“The big challenge is how we make our organisation relevant to the country’s big decarbonisation future,” he admits.

Cadent has launched a number of projects with that in mind, including working with partner companies to develop green gases such as bio-substitute natural gas (Bio-SNG), which can be used for heating homes and powering vehicles.

The test for us is how we take the innovative ideas we have and scale them to make a real impactChris Train, CEO at Cadent Gas

Innovative work is also taking place to increase the amount of biomethane distributed across the gas network. This green gas is made from food waste, sewage or energy crops and Cadent already has a number of biomethane projects with water company Severn Trent.

One of the company’s most important ongoing innovations is its work to increase the use of low-carbon hydrogen by producing more of it from natural gas. It is investing in new technology such as steam methane reformers that capture and store carbon. The idea is that hydrogen is added to the existing gas network and this blended supply helps businesses to reduce their carbon footprint.

“The test for us is how we take the innovative ideas we have and scale them to make a real impact,” says Train. “We are working with policymakers to help the government understand the role we can play as a business in engineering and safety as they develop their future strategies for heating people’s homes.”

Cadent believes that if the Government invests more in hydrogen production technologies such as industrial electrolysis there could be huge export opportunities for the UK. Such a commitment would also support the Government’s Industrial and Clean Growth Strategy, which promotes the idea of growing the economy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Cadent – among many others – is convinced gas distribution networks will play a major part in the future of UK energy. While the product itself isn’t going to be passed up by UK consumers any time soon, if Cadent can offer a cheaper and minimally disruptive way to reduce emissions, it will be something to warm all our hearts.